Big 12 'Ball: Tortilla Turmoil Wraps Up Dramatic Week

By Simon Carroll

College Football’s most competitive conference delivered in Week 7. Simon Carroll looks back at some of the talking points from last weekend, and what’s ahead in Week 8 for the Big 12:

Holy Guacamole

If we didn’t know before, we certainly do now; Texas Tech is LEGIT.

The Red Raiders put the Big 12 and more on notice on Saturday, thumping the Kansas Jayhawks 42-17 at Jones AT&T Stadium. Jumping out to a 21 point lead early in the second quarter, TTU rode Cameron Dickey all night – the running back racking up 263 yards on the ground with touchdown runs of 71 and 55 yards. An injury to quarterback Behren Morton looked like it had opened a window for the Jayhawks, who mounted a strong comeback before halftime to reduce the deficit to four; Jalon Daniels literally putting the team on his back on three consecutive drives. But that was where the momentum ended for KU, with Tech dominating after the break to romp home to victory. The defense recorded nine sacks, and KU never saw paydirt again.

As dramatic as the game was itself, further intrigue erupted after the clocks hit zero. Lance Leipold was incensed as he met Joey Mcguire for the post-game handshake, with both head coaches sharing an expletive-laden conversation. The source of the ire? TTU fans throwing tortillas onto the field.

Yep, that’s right. You heard me. Tortillas. For those who aren’t aware, the Red Raiders have a decades-old tradition whereby they throw tortillas onto the field at kickoff. Recently they’ve been getting a little excited and have started to throw them after EVERY kickoff – and considering how good Tech are at the moment, that’s a whole lot of unleavened bread hitting the turf. The Big 12 has threatened to fine the school for repeated incidents, and it happened twice more during the game on Saturday. In the post-game presser, Leipold explained that other objects were being thrown, including a pocket knife, and safety (and officials failing to follow the established rules in such incidents) was the underlying reasoning behind his frustration.

Can Tech fans behave as their team marches to the College Football Playoffs? And why do tortillas in America have a hole in the middle? So many questions yet to be answered.

Big People Are Kickers Too

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The injury bug has hit Ames – HARD. And the personnel crisis is threatening to derail Iowa State’s hope of a conference title game appearance, with the Cyclones losing back to back games after a 5-0 start. A defeat to Colorado who enjoyed a Kaidon Salter breakout game was the latest setback, the ‘Colones falling 24-17. Most crippling has been the loss of both starting cornerbacks, but it wasn’t just the secondary that had the coaching staff pressed into emergency action…

The internet movement #ForTheBrand was started in earnest in an attempt to get kickers and punters recognition of the importance of their roles on football teams. Well, nobody understood that value more than Matt Campbell and co on Saturday. Iowa State has been frustrated with kicker injuries this year, with starter Kyle Konrardy having been sidelined since mid-September. To make things worse, backup kicker Chase Smith was injured during the game against Colorado this weekend – hurting himself kicking off the second half. That forced the ‘Clones to turn to a freshman offensive lineman to swing his leg.

Yep, you read that correctly. Carson Rhodes, a 6’8”, 310lb hog molly, was asked to kickoff following an Iowa State touchdown. And, all things considered, he didn’t do a bad job! Rhodes dropped the ball inside the twenty yard line – perhaps a little shorter than hoped – and almost made a tackle on the ensuing return by the Buffs. This was Rhodes’ official debut in a live game setting, a unique way to make his bow in an Iowa State uniform.

Campbell and his staff will be hoping the injury list eases off, and they can get back to competing at the top end of the conference once again.

Shirtless In Stillwater

Given the state of Oklahoma State football currently, you can forgive the fans for not packing out Boone-Pickens stadium this season. And so it was on Saturday as Houston came into Stillwater and destroyed the Cowboys in their own back yard 39-17. One fan, at the behest of his friends, decided to occupy a whole section to himself, taking his shirt off and waving it above his head. Considering the entertainment on the field, this proved to be more fun than the game itself, and soon attracted fellow shirtless Cowboys fans in the action.

By the end of it, maybe one hundred topless fans with well-toned torsos were in on the action. Fair play to Pokes Nation – they found a way to have fun on a Saturday despite the woes their program is enduring.

Reason number 1,000,347 why College Football is awesome.

Not Here Just To Make Up The Numbers

It’s probably time to put some respect on BYU’s name.

The Cougars have flown under the radar so far this season; a result largely of an uninspiring and fairly manageable schedule to this point. The departure of star quarterback Jake Retzlaff days before the season began meant that most people’s expectations of BYU were tempered. In a conference full of big name gunslingers, a freshman QB couldn’t possibly come in and compete. Could he?

Well, yeah, he could. Bear Bachmeier has looked more than competent filling the void. Early games against Portland State and Stanford were put down as cupcake introductions, a trap game against ECU navigated with ease. But people really started to take note when Bachmeier helped the Cougars over the line in Colorado ten days ago. And then, in a late one on Saturday, he put all the doubters on notice.

Arizona are a lot better than many imagined themselves, and they gave BYU a game. In a back and forth battle, the Wildcats nudged ahead by ten points. The Cougars leant on LJ Martin to get them to overtime, the running back rumbling for 162 yards and a score. But it was Bachmeier who stepped up in overtime, dragging his team over the line with a 7 yard keeper.

BYU joins Texas Tech as the only two programs in the Big 12 to remain undefeated, with Cincinnati matching them with an unblemished conference record. The Cougars meet the Red Raiders in Week 10, in what could be a dress rehearsal for a title game matchup. There’s the small matter of The Holy War coming up this week, which they would be foolish to look past. But don’t sleep on the program from Provo – they’re firing on all cylinders and ready for a playoff push.

Big 12: Holy War Headlines Week 8 Slate

Saturday (All times Eastern):

Arizona @ Houston (PK), 12pm

Baylor @ TCU (-3), 12pm

West Virginia @ UCF (-7.5), 1pm

Texas Tech @ Arizona State (+9.5), 4pm

Cincinnati @ Oklahoma State (+21.5), 8pm

Utah @ BYU (+3.5), 8pm

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SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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